


where are you?

by fonddesire, sheepweeps



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: 20 year old jun with a 39 year old minghao tryna find their child, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Awkward Romance, Chenle is their child bc why not, Comedy, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, Magical Realism, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, implied soonwoo, jun’s just confused pls help him, wonwoo has a cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:35:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27991602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fonddesire/pseuds/fonddesire, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheepweeps/pseuds/sheepweeps
Summary: In which a 20-year-old Junhui wakes up and sees Minghao in his room in all his 39-year-old glory and tells him one thing:“We need to find our child.”
Relationships: Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 20
Kudos: 117





	1. i need help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify:  
> \- Minghao is 19 yrs old and Junhui’s 20 yrs old  
> \- Minghao from the future is 39 yrs old  
> \- this means that 2 minghaos are in one time frame

If one might ask Junhui what fever dream was the most unpleasant he had ever experienced it would have been the time where he dreamt that he was forced to bake cupcakes as a remedy for a terrifying pandemic. It felt too real, vivid if he might add. But, what was happening now was a contender against that baking red velvet related dream but more of a ‘is this real or did I wake up in an alternate world in front of a secret agent type of thing?’. 

It wasn't an unpleasant or dreadful sight, however this incident alone makes his fist turn white while holding his bed sheets as if it’s his lifeline. He makes his toes curl under his blanket and bit his tongue a bit harshly indicating that yes, this isn’t a dream. 

Rather than opening his eyes after seeing the figure in front of him, he tightened his eyelids shut, wishing that after a few seconds this person would leave or disappear out of thin air.

Minutes passed but the weight of the person sitting on the foot of his bed was still there. The man was still, no movement can be felt nor does a subtle creak of the bed can be heard. It was rather an awkward 5 minutes of silence with an abnormal breathing pattern made by Jun since why was a stranger here sitting on his bed with shades on in his barely lit room?

Still pretending to be asleep while thinking of an escape plan, he heard an audible sigh. A long one, to be specific.

“I know you’re awake Junhui.” 

A sense of familiarity was felt, he heard this voice before though it was deeper in quality.

After a few silent seconds the person must have known Jun won’t reply. “I know you sleep with your eyes open, don’t change your habit now”

He opened his eyes slowly, his vision was met with a man looking at him with a neutral expression; his black shades were now on the tip of his nose revealing his alluring eyes. Junhui knows who this person was, specifically the person he does want to be with in his room, it was his close friend who he wants to have a romantic relationship with for two years now. 

He hurriedly sat up, his right hand desperately searching for the lampshade’s switch and turned it on.

“Minghao”

“Yeah, that’s me.” The said man stood up, his socked foot was tapping Junhui’s wooden floor.

Junhui could only look at the man in amazement and a bit of confusion. The Minghao he’s looking at held so much power, his black slacks hugged his long legs, and the white dress shirt accompanied with a vest matching his slacks screamed elegance. He doesn’t look like the Minghao who smiles at him whenever he wins him a stuffed toy from the claw machine and he wasn’t the boy who lets him snuggle with his cat.

Jun was still planted on his bed, mouth sealed while thinking of a way to understand the situation at hand. He found his hand holding his nape out of embarrassment and chuckled nervously before replying.

“Don’t get me wrong but, you…” 

Minghao quirks his eyebrows at Junhui’s unsure tone.

“Okay….don’t be mad but..” He finally moved his position, his eyes now staring at the man in front of him.

“Last time I checked you had brown hair instead of black with gray highlights which was yesterday? And you kind of look like you dipped yourself in sparkling water, especially your face.” 

The other man in question could only stare with confusion at Jun’s remark, he placed his shades on his head. Now with his eyes bare of any glasses he looked at the man straight in the eye to explain what he just said. Junhui’s explanations are always weirdly specific even though they’ve been together for 20 years now and it’s still difficult to understand his mind.

Junhui continued his rambling when he realized what he said was understandably out of context.

“Not in the bad way of course, because yeah you look...beautiful as always, but you look more of a ‘I eat caviar in front of a balcony in France’ instead of the ‘I eat boiled eggs in the backyard kind of Minghao.”

Okay, that was more out of context Junhui thought, with a blush evident on his face.

To his amazement, Minghao laughed gently, a small smile settling on his face. 

“What you’re looking at is called aging darling, not magical glitter dipping.” 

Junhui gaped at what Minghao just said. Aging? If you do look at him closely his features grew sharper, his eyes had a level of maturity while looking at him straight in the eye, his voice was as smooth as silk not like the childish lilt his 18 year old crush has and damn, his smile now turned into a smirk.

The man standing in front of him leaned on the wall, his foot was impatiently tapping the floor.

“I’m 39 years old, from the future.”

Okay, his crush is 39 years old and is standing in his room like it’s nothing bizarre. 

Totally normal. What does he do? Is this like a simulation of some sort? Does he pretend like all is well and dandy. Jun could feel his heart pounding louder out of nervousness, he managed to straighten his tongue and form a question he deems fine.

“So...why is a 39 year old Minghao inside my room?”

Minghao sighs again and sits down beside him, his feet now at ease but his hands are fiddling with the blanket, a hint of worry is seen on his face.

“We have to find our child.” 

“Our...our child?!” Jun suddenly stands up, his hands are both at his scalp, he was shocked to say the least.

“We’re together? And...and  _ we _ have a child? from the future?”

Okay, scratch that, his  _ husband _ who is 39 years old from the future is now sitting on his bed, in his room like it’s a normal thing.

Minghao nods as a confirmation for Junhui’s questions, his hands were still impatiently fiddling with the sheets but his face was mischievously smiling at a confused Junhui.

“Yeah and our child didn’t ask for permission when he used my spell book.”

Junhui could feel his brain malfunctioning, he can’t just process this all at once. 

“What! Spell book? Like bibbidi-bobbidi-boo type of magic?”

Minghao sighed for the nth time, why did he marry Junnie again? Oh yeah, he loves him. Nevermind.

“Long story for another time but our son came here in this timeline without even telling us and he might cause a terrible accident in the future if we don’t find him as soon as possible.”

Jun could only widen his eyes out of shock, he let himself fall back on his bed again and looked at the chipping paint on his ceiling.

“This sounds kind of like those cool tv shows late at night, but now that I’m hearing this from my partner who’s 20 years from the future who’s looking for our lost son it’s kind of hard to take in you know?

Junhui doesn’t know what he should feel. Should he be happy that he’s married to Xu Minghao or be worried because his future son was running free in this small town.

“Yeah, but I need your help. So can you?” The older man was now at his door frame, as he grabbed his shoes that he placed near the door.

“Of course, your 40 year old husband would be disappointed if I didn’t help you.” Junhui replied, emphasizing the word husband as Minghao rolled his eyes.

This is going to be interesting but tiring nonetheless. Heck, at least he knows his pining was not unrequited.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Junhui could even barely stand-up before Minghao threw him a jacket and told him to brush his teeth before going down stairs.

He was still in a daze. He knows they were supposed to hurry however just the thought of gaining quite a few major occurences that will happen to him made him look at his reflection for 2 minutes until the other opened the door and threatened to choke him with the waiting toothbrush near his sink.

Minghao’s voice was moving from every direction, seemingly out of ease. And finally went over to Junhui again, his head at the crack of the door.

“Okay I got your socks since you always wear the mismatched ones. And no, you’re not gonna eat fruit jellies since it's the crack of dawn, Junhui.” 

“Didn’t know old Minghao would be this motherly.” He replied, voice muffled while brushing his teeth.

“I know right, kinda signed up as your future mother than your significant other and I’m kind of regretting it.”

Hearing this made Junhui pout with the toothbrush sticking out of his mouth, eyes wide with a sad comedic expression. 

The older one smiled fondly while letting out a little laugh and finally entered the bathroom, patting Junhui’s head. “I’m joking, I love you, don't worry. Even though you're at your pizza-only phase.”

“Now hurry-up I want to find his ass and scold him, before 40-year-old Junhui comes home.”

Junhui could only feel the warmth of comfort and excitement of knowing that this will be the life he’ll have in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! this was written 2 months ago and I just wanted to post it here. I’ll continue this fic if this gets good feedback!
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/sheepweeps)


	2. our plan?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Planning out their search with some banter on the side. Also, a few new information is supplied for Junhui’s confused mind.

It was a lot brighter than Junhui expected when Minghao folded the curtains by the side. The younger man stared at the bright beams of sunlight that seemed to reflect with the small glass vase placed on the table. 

Minghao sat next to him with his palm cradling his head with a tilt. He stared at Jun with a fixed look, the jittering from a while ago when the latter woke up was slowly subsiding from the way Minghao’s movement wasn’t as tense as before. 

“So what’s the plan?” 

“We have two options actually.” Minghao sat straight and grabbed the small threads from the placemat to cope with his nerves then continued with a sigh. “We try to track down his whereabouts by completely roaming around like a lost tourist.”

“And the other option?” Junhui’s eyebrows creased, wishing that the second option wasn’t them sacrificing an innocent soul in a magical forest. 

“We have to find Wonwoo and ask for his help.” 

“Wonwoo?” His eyes widened, he wasn’t expecting his friend to be an option.

“He’s also magically inclined.”

Junhui huffs and crosses his arms, eyes pinched with a small frown tugging his lips. “You’re saying that the two people who I’m the closest with hid their powers from me?” 

“It’s not like that” Minghao quirks a brow and looks at Junhui quizzically, his fingers are no longer fiddling with the thread. 

The small dip of sunlight pierces Minghao’s skin making him more beautiful when the younger opens his eyes. The sensible part of Junhui was telling him to stop pretending like he was gonna throw a tantrum in front of his soon to be partner since his child was missing but with the way Minghao’s confused face that made his eyes all innocent was urging him not to. 

Junhui closed his eyes again, his mouth was fixed with his frown while suppressing the small laugh he wanted to let out.

“I don’t know Hao, but being witch buddies with Wonwoo while I, a lone human whose ability is to attract cats is a sufficient proof.”

“You forgot Soonyoung’s a human too!” Minghao’s tone was gradually penting up to frustration because of Junhui’s behavior. “And we’re not witches, we’re actually bearers if you want a more accurate term.” 

“Mhm sure.” Without even sparing a look, Jun muttered. He heard a sudden shift from the other, the chair screeching and the small thud of Minghao’s elbow placed on the table.

“Junnie...” Minghao said slowly, stretching out the last part of his name with his gentle voice.

Junhui knew with that sweet voice that it was equipped with a knowing smirk, he tried to cover the small smile gradually upturning. Damn Minghao for being a 39-year-old who knows that he loves pet names. He wasn’t supposed to be the one being flustered while smiling like a lovestruck idiot; he was the tease, that was his role in their relationship. 

Junhui opened his eyes and saw the small glint of amusement in the other’s eyes. The grin that complemented Minghao’s sharp eyes made Junhui feel the overwhelming affection he’s held on for quite a while now. 

With a small trace of sarcasm in Minghao’s voice he nudged the younger with a gentle shove. “Come on don’t be like that.”

“Okay, so moving on” Junhui coughed, regaining his senses and away from his lingering thoughts he stood up and looked at the other. “I think the second option is a better route, even though I don’t understand what’s happening.”

“It’s not that complicated but it’s a lot.” Minghao shrugged and stood up as well.

They both stretched before making their way to the door, Junhui grabbed his shoes by the side with Minghao in tow but paused. He looked at the man in front of him and scanned his figure and learned that the older was actually the same height as him.

“Hao, before we go can you change?”

“Why?” Minghao looked at him incredulously, as if Jun told him the clothing he was wearing was a disgrace to the fashion industry.

Junhui unconsciously held his nape and explained. “You’re actually very beautiful and I like how it fits you but you’ll stand out too much.”

He wasn’t lying when he said Minghao was beautiful. His sense of fashion made him look like an elite that can ruin your life just with a flick of his finger. He’s happy that Minghao found his own style, currently, the Minghao’s he’s with is still in his trial and error stage; buying all kinds of sweaters to different assortments of pants.

“Okay, but I’m the one who's gonna pick the clothes from your closet.” Minghao said and went straight to his room without even waiting for a reply.

“You always do.” Junhui leaned on the wall, a small smile plastered on his face. 

Junhui was supposed to suggest buying some clothes from the small shop near Wonwoo’s house but the way Minghao went upstairs straight to the closet with a fond smile caused him not to. Whenever Minghao sleeps in his place he always snatches a piece of clothing from him that the term ‘borrowed’ Minghao always refers to was useless when the sweaters he keeps on  _ borrowing _ were never returned; folded and kept in the old drawer in Minghao’s home.

Maybe it was the small fragments of familiarity from the past and the sudden nostalgia of the good old days that made Minghao’s face light up?

* * *

They went outside when the clock struck eight, Minghao with Jun’s battered cap shielded the rays of light that invaded the elder's vision. While Junhui was locking the door and informing the latter that he already texted Wonwoo of the situation, Minghao shifted to the side and saw the small houses he hadn't seen for years.

“This place is just as I remembered.” Minghao smiled while looking at the fading color of gray of Jun’s bicycle and the old car permanently parked by the neighbor that was never used.

“Did we move out?” 

“Yeah we did, we moved to the city.” Minghao spared a glance at Jun when he felt the small feeling of concern radiating from the young man. “Don’t worry, you bought a house for your parents and your brother is doing well.”

Junhui grinned when heard Minghao’s reassurance. “You’ve only revealed a little bit of information but it seems that we’re stable huh?”

The thought of being able to achieve his dream of being able to support his family and even have a family of his own was enough for him to be proud of the both of them. His parents who were always away to strive for a better life and his brother who is currently with his grandparents are a big part of his life alongside Minghao who was always there to stay by his side.

They continued walking, the sidewalk bare of any noisy children playing beneath the morning sun which was odd for a weekend. Wonwoo’s house is a couple of minutes away by foot where a lot more trees are evident as well as the narrow streets that were paved. 

“So, how come you won’t just teleport to him?” Junhui glanced at Minghao who was busy inspecting his sleeves.

“Well each bearer has a limit. Since I already used a chunk of my magic to come here in this timeline and setting, the particular person I want to ‘teleport’ to can take a lot more and if that happens I won’t be able to go back to my present because I’m over my limit.”

“And does that limit restore back to the normal amount?” 

“It does but it takes a lot of days since that’s my condition.” Minghao spares a look at Junhui and continues. “Just like a limit we also have conditions, commonly it’s related to time of how much you can replenish your utmost ability, Wonwoo has one too but it’s different from mine.”

Junhui wandered his eyes towards the small fence they’re walking beside. “How about...“ His question went unfinished since he’s worried he kept on prodding about a topic new to him and he also doesn’t know his son’s name (he should’ve asked from the beginning).

Minghao knew Jun’s question and offered a fond smile. “He actually has the same ability as mine since he’s my descendant which means both our conditions and limits are similar.”

“Okay um...this is kinda a serious question...but” Junhui looks serious with not a drip of sarcasm in his tone. Minghao stares at the other and remains still, wondering what might be the reason for Junhui to stop their already slow pace.

“What is it?”

Jun looks at the older and grabs his shoulder gently. “Did he get my good looks?”

Minghao laughed at the sudden question, how come he didn’t see that question coming. “You do know he’s a descendant of my ability not a child we produced as an offspring?”

The younger huffed and proceeded to walk nearer to the edge “Yeah! But he’s my son of course with the help of my love and my contagious pretty boy appeal he’d get that from me.” 

Minghao followed Jun and began walking by his side while suppressing his laugh. “Hate to break it to you but I’m the pretty boy in our relationship.”

Junhui huffed from the statement he heard. “Yeah but you're not pretty you're actually beautiful!”

A long silence stretched between them with Minghao caught off guard and internally flustered by Junhui’s blunt remark. They’re almost near their destination with 10 more houses they’ll have to pass by. 

After a few minutes of awkward tension he shifted closer to Jun and tapped him by the back. “Yeah our son is handsome, he’s kinda cheeky like you so sometimes it’s hard to manage but he got his kind nature from you too.”

Junhui stopped from his tracks for the nth time and a joyful smile graced his face. “What’s his name Hao?”

“His name is-“ 

Before Minghao can say their child’s name a piercing voice made the older pause.

“Jun!” The familiar voice came from across the street. 

Junhui looked at the 19-year-old Minghao who kept on calling his name. He actually forgot he lived near Wonwoo’s house, but it was quite odd how he’s outside at this hour.

Minghao’s voice raised, even from the distance he can see the boy’s displeased face. “Jun are you actually pretending I’m not here?”

The older Minghao pulled his cap closer to cover a bit of his face and leveled his voice to a small whisper. “We should get out of here right now, we shouldn’t meet each other in the same time frame.”

“Why?” Junhui asked with his voice cracking 

“I’m not sure if it’s safe to see each other. As I said there might be a consequence.”

Junhui could only gulp and swallow the knot of panic he’s currently facing. He was stuck in a tight position where two Minghaos are separated by a road alone. And seeing the younger Minghao who was actually in a sulky mood who looks like he was planning to murder him by the ditch, everything was not going fine.

_ Not fine at all. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both of these accounts are actually mine (but I gave @ fonddesire to someone else) I post more junhao fics regularly with the other acc!
> 
> Kudos and your thoughts motivates me to post more!!
> 
> talk to me here -> [twitter](https://twitter.com/sheepweeps)


	3. cats and ramen cups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally arrived at Wonwoo’s house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i added new characters to the tag!

“Hey Hao!” Junhui waved widely at Minghao, his voice cracking a bit. 

Junhui was feeling the immense buzzing radiating out of the man beside him and all he can think of is finding a way to get out of the situation. He quickly placed his arm snaking it around the older’s neck and waved back at the younger Minghao who was glaring daggers behind him.

The younger man clearly wasn't having it as his voice went monotone. “Hey Jun aren’t you-“

“Sorry haohao! We’re really in a hurry right now so if you’ll excuse us” Junhui dragged the other to the next corner and immediately walked faster than before.

The older Minghao followed with the pace making sure not to trip on the small pebbles littered. “Well that’s rude.” 

“I’m sorry, I’ll talk to him later when everything’s fine again. I can’t think of another way, he looks like he’ll kill me.” 

“Yeah knowing my younger self yes, we both would kill you.” The older man replied with a knowing tone.

They got silent as they headed their way to Wonwoo’s house. A tinge of regret is slowly creeping up to Junhui since he left the younger man without even telling him where he’s going. And Minghao most of the time wants to know who he is with and where he was since as the younger said  _ ‘he might be doing something he’ll regret in the future _ ’ which was true. But he’ll have to suck it up for the meantime and do what is necessary. 

When they were in front of his friend’s residence the wide trees covering the piercing sunlight from the gate made him feel really odd since the big yet old plants gave Wonwoo the mysterious yet wise factor of becoming a magical entity. They pressed the buzzer a couple of times until they saw their friend wearing a blue tracksuit like he always does and that’s when Wonwoo’s magical aura dwindled for Junhui. 

Wonwoo looked at them with a tired gaze. “Come in.”

As they went inside, Junhui sat on his usual spot on the sofa with their friend’s chubby cat Leo, sitting alongside him. He patted his lap and the feline immediately joined him, purring in satisfaction when Jun stroked his head. 

After a minute of them exchanging looks Wonwoo sighed and placed his hand on his lap. “So?”

“Do you already know the situation?” Minghao sat beside Jun, his tapping foot unceasing.

“From what Jun just texted ‘help! Minghao from the future lost our son and we’re trying to do the Finding Nemo plot but we need your help with your wizard magic powers to succeed’ with a crying cat emoji and two pleading emojis.” 

Minghao spared a glance at his husband with Jun muttering  _ ‘I didn’t know the specific terms when I texted him’ _ while playing with the cat’s paws. 

“We need your help to track down my spell book since you’re the only bearer I know with a locator ability.”

Junhui raised his brow and looked at the two. “A locator?”

“Well, as I said my ability is to cast spells and Wonwoo’s ability is through location.”

“I can locate any magical instrument and find its origin.” Their friend shrugged

Junhui nodded in understanding, the cat on his lap leaped on the carpet and went to the other room. “Oh, so you can just find the spell book and we’re good to go or does it come with a limit and condition just like Hao?”

“I can find the specific location but since from what you’ve requested you two want the precise area where your child is at. My condition is that it’ll take a lot of time for my finder to navigate since if we force it to increase its speed of navigating I’ll reach my limit.”

“How many hours will it take.” Minghao asked, his head now resting on the couch with his eyes shut tightly.

“Give me about 7 hours it’s kinda tricky to find yours since it’s a moving item and not some ancient buried relic of some sort.”

They both nodded with the thought that it was the best choice rather than wandering the whole area and wasting time and energy. The older Minghao doesn’t even know why his son even went to a different time or let alone his plans that could ruin the future.

Wonwoo went to his bedroom leaving the two inside his cozy living room.

Junhui looked at the gray walls with a hanging clock that indicated that it was already 9 am. He glanced at the man beside him and tapped his shoulder and when he got Minghao’s attention he patted his shoulder and disheveled his hair like he always does when he’s stressed. Minghao pulled his lips to a small smile to reassure him he was fine and leaned closer to Jun to let the man continue his soothing action.

Junhui grinned when he saw Minghao getting closer to him because of his touch, it was a familiar sight just like how the younger Minghao would do whenever he’s getting frustrated over a choreography or whenever he gets sick.

“Hey hao?”

“Mmm yeah?” Minghao said as he closed his eyes and leaned more closer to Jun.

Junhui continued to caress the man’s hair. “How old is he? You know our child?”

“He’s 17”

He nodded and realized how old he was in the other man’s time. “Uhm.. we got cut before but you can tell me our son's name?”

“Oh, his name is Chenle.” Minghao opened his eyes and smiled at Jun with a proud face.

“That’s a nice name.” Jun muttered and shifted a little bit for comfort. “What does he look like?”

Before Minghao could reply they were interrupted with Wonwoo placing his bag on the coffee table in front of them. He unzipped it and brought out a large brown tattered book and opened it to find a blank page.

“Is that why you always bring that bag when we go somewhere?” Junhui asked, curiously gazing at it while Minghao sat straight next to him.

Wonwoo nodded and gently touched the edge of the book. “Of course, important things should be brought wherever a person who treasures it goes.”

“Minghao is also important to me but you never see me bringing him along everywhere.” Junhui mumbled and didn’t realize he said it out loud until he saw how the older blushed.

Wonwoo snorted a laugh and looked at him with an amused face. “Funny how you say that but you two have been joined at the hip ever since we met.”

“All I’m saying is how do you lug that huge bag around even when you’re going to the bathroom.” 

“Well I don’t question the both of you when you two go to the bathroom at the same time do I?” Wonwoo answered back calmly then glanced back to his book and placed the bag near them.

Jun replied feeling shy after Wonwoo reminded him of that certain memory. “That was just one time!” 

“Jun, he carries that all the time since It’s dangerous to leave it lying somewhere.” Minghao pursed his lips then frowned. “Which is like what I did in this situation.”

“Minghao is that book of yours filled with your own writings?”

“Yes, I add newly found spells.” Wonwoo nodded at him and gently placed the book on the center.

Their conversation came to an end when the open book suddenly flipped it’s pages and proceeded to glow a shade of deep blue. Silence engulfed the room as the lights of the whole house dimmed and the curtains closed tight as to not let any sunlight infiltrate the room. 

Wonwoo casually grabbed the quill floating beside the enchanted book and began writing down scribbles of an unknown language Junhui could not discern. His hands continued moving while the ink that stained the page immediately lightened up then vanished that followed a solemn whisper from the air. 

The book closed immediately after their friend stopped writing. “I wrote an order of navigation and told them to find the book with your writings on it. They’ll be able to know it’s yours because of your handwriting.”

“Them?”

“My ability to find items comes with aid from different tiny ‘helpers’ that helps me track down and know if we’re getting a clue where it is.”

Junhui continued to stare at Wonwoo, his eyes getting wider out of confusion. 

Wonwoo places his hand on his nape and sighs. “I guess they are like small fairies that travel through the air and they help locators like me to find the missing items.”

“I didn’t expect I’d have a friend who can talk to fairies through a glowing book, especially you of all people.” Junhui nodded as he said those words which earned him a quizzical look from the other.

“I’ll write to them and check every two hours. If we get lucky they’ll find it by 2 pm.”

* * *

Three hours passed by and there was still no hint or any track from what Wonwoo has read. The two began to feel restless, especially Minghao who couldn't stop walking from room to room while Jun sat in one spot with the feline splayed on his lap. 

“Don’t worry we’ll find him sooner or later.” Junhui tried to ease his voice to a gentle tone. 

Minghao continued pacing back and forth with his pursed lips. “It’s just I don’t know why he even came into this time and what he’s planning. What if he tells someone a major event and that’ll lead to a butterfly effect and change everything when we come back home.”

“I don’t really know Chenle yet but I think he should know what he’s doing since you’re his descendant and you must have told him something about the consequences right?”

“Yeah I did.” Minghao replied with a sigh. 

“Then put some trust on that boy and sit down. Your feet is gonna leave a hole on the floor with all that walking.” Jun said with a small laugh to lighten up the older’s mood. 

Junhui still feels the nervous aura radiating from the other and when he gazed at the older he realized that they were really helpless in this situation since all they can do is wait. Minghao must have felt like he was responsible for all this happening since he left the spell book somewhere and Chenle somewhat planned to go to another timeline.

He doesn’t know how he can even reassure the man beside him other than telling him that everything will be alright. And even though he told Minghao how he should not worry and trust their son there’s a small part of him that’s agonizing what consequences might arise in the future.

As he was mulling over his thoughts a sudden growl was heard. Jun looked at Minghao who flashed an awkward smile and shifted farther. “That’s just my stomach, please don’t mind me.”

“I’ll buy us some food then but don’t expect anything near a healthy cooked meal.” He said as he remembered he left his other wallet in his room. 

“Then I’ll go with you.” Minghao said as he stood up. 

Junhui stood up with Leo nestled on his arms. “No, we don’t want the incident from a while ago to happen again,”

”I might stumble upon Hao again and if Wonwoo asks I’ll be going to the convenience store.” He gives the puffy black cat to Minghao.

Well then if there wasn’t anything he can do then as a contribution (he feels like a useless member in a school project) he’ll just buy them food since Wonwoo rarely cooks anything. 

Jun sends him a wave and a cheery goodbye then leaves while hearing the cat meowing back at him.

* * *

As Junhui exits the store with the bell leaving a small ding, he quickly scrambles to the side carrying a paper bag filled with cup ramen and a bunch of sandwiches. He regrets how he didn’t buy a different drink for Minghao since his favorite tea drink was sold out. He wanted to buy a different flavor but the lady in front of the cashier was staring at him and told him how he lost his shot which was a weird statement to say to your regular customer. 

Maybe it was because he was staring too long at the chilled tea section or he wasn’t able to snatch the green tea that Minghao likes. 

Nevertheless he exited the shop and plans to go back even if the lady is weirder than usual.

Before he can even go back and nervously give himself a pat on the back he heard a familiar giggle on the opposite side of the shop. He knows who it is since who even has a laugh that causes Junhui to glance around as quickly as possible with his heart hammering his chest other than Xu Minghao?

As he craned his neck and went to the edge of the small pole just outside the door he saw Minghao perched on their usual spot where they spend most of their afternoons fooling around. 

Junhui smiled at the sight of Minghao’s beautiful face but his grin immediately turned into a frown when he saw someone next to him giving Minghao the said favorite tea drink he was just talking about.

He doesn’t know why, but he felt like he’d rather just go back to Wonwoo’s place than go back to the store.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me your thoughts!
> 
> Btw the next (and also the last) chapter will be up soon! I don’t want to prolong this since everything will be settled ^ - ^
> 
> -> [twitter](https://twitter.com/sheepweeps)


	4. let’s go

Junhui visibly deflated when he reached Wonwoo’s house. His steps faltered as he tried not to look as if he just saw what happened a while ago. 

Why was he even jealous? He shouldn’t be too affected by it since Minghao does have other friends and the young man has his own right to do what he wants. Especially when Junhui pulled a stunt and ran away without letting his friend finish what he was about to say.

A part of Junhui was already muddled by his thoughts of maybe Chenle’s appearance in this timeline resulted in Minghao meeting another person because of Junhui’s unexpected absence. However, that idea was too far fetched and that specific thought was awful enough since why would he even blame his child for his own negligence.

As he knocked, Soonyoung opened the door with a smile which made Junhui quickly pull a grin to his face but with questioning eyes.

“When did you arrive?”

Soonyoung widened the gap of the door. “Oh, just ten minutes ago. I dropped by since Wonwoo’s place is closer to the park.”

“What were you doing in the park?” Junhui asked, damn he’s been asking about everything throughout this whole day.

“You didn’t know?” Soonyoung leaned on the doorframe, watching Junhui remove his shoes and saw him shake his head.

“Oh so that’s why Minghao isn’t with you.”

“Know what?” 

“Minghao and I impulsively joined a dance contest and he was supposed to surprise you with the dance he choreographed-“ before Soonyoung can even finish his sentence, he immediately covered his mouth and sent an apologetic stare at his friend. “I think I shouldn’t have mentioned that.”

“Yeah.” Junhui answered with an urge to slap his own face. 

Now that explains why Minghao was up early. Junhui was feeling a lot more terrible from before. He doesn’t even deserve to be Minghao’s future husband anymore.

You might think he was exaggerating about this matter but Minghao always mentioned how he wanted to choreograph his own dance and that Junhui even promised that he’ll be there watching him when he performs. And knowing that his crush smiled when he heard Junhui say those words of support made his heart ache.

Soonyoung quickly saw Junhui’s face of regret and patted his shoulder, telling him it’ll be fine. The man pushed Junhui to the living room where Minghao and Wonwoo were lounging in.

Junhui looked at Soonyoung then at Minghao and back to Soonyoung again who was now rummaging his plastic bag. “Why aren't you weirded out with this situation?”

“Why would I be weirded out?” Soonyoung asked, his hand now holding a cup of ramen.

“Well, for starters we have a 39 year old Minghao in front of you?” 

Soonyoung began tearing the plastic cover with ease. “Wonwoo told me everything before I got here and I’m kinda used to these since I come here every time.”

“He came in without telling me while I was locating a relic and shrieked when he saw how vibrant the book glowed last year.” Wonwoo shrugged, accepting the open ramen cup from his boyfriend.

“It’s not my fault you gave me a spare key.” Soonyoung grabbed another cup, giving it to Minghao then looked back at Jun who was preparing the hot water from the other side. “Anyways Minghao looks like he owns a bank just by his aura, promise me you’ll buy me a tiger statue okay?”

“Already did.” Minghao replied coolly, as if a statue wasn’t expensive at all.

Soonyoung immediately jumped and asked for a hug. “Minghao, forget about Jun. Marry me!”

“Yeah you definitely should? Am I right?” Junhui said with an awkward laugh, his thoughts coming back to the man Minghao was with minutes before.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Five cups of ramen and a snoring Soonyoung later, everyone was unmoving in their positions, Leo was nestled on a pile of blankets. All of them were honestly feeling impatient with how much the time has passed but Wonwoo still hasn’t received a message from his helpers. 

Junhui began scrolling through his phone, closing each webpage and typing out different questions that were incorporated with scenarios about everything that just happened today. When he closed the “how do you find your missing child with your future husband that might not be your husband in the future?” tab he closed his phone and settled deeper under the cushions of the couch.

“Hey you okay?” Minghao asked, and inched closer to him.

Truthfully, Junhui would respond and say that he isn’t in good shape in terms of his brain and emotional capacity but he shouldn’t trouble Minghao. Especially since they should focus on Chenle and not his bitter and awfully bruised feelings because of his useless jealousy on a good looking boy that heard Minghao’s giggles. 

“I am, I should be the one to ask you.” Junhui reassuringly smiled and gently booped the other man’s nose. 

Minghao scrunched his nose and laughed. “I think I’m getting used to the idea of our son getting lost. When I come back without him, I’ll enjoy our house when the doors are all closed without him forgetting to close it and turn his room into a renting space.”

“Planned it out already huh?” Junhui placed his hand on Minghao’s hair and ruffled it again.

Minghao grabbed it and held it with his warm hand, his thumb grazing his palm affectionately. “But seriously when we do find him, I’m yanking Chenle back home and ban him from touching the book for a month.” 

Jun laughed at the prospect of their son getting nagged by Minghao who completely goes on a tangent whenever he’s worried. He stared at Minghao’s eyes and taunted him. “Just a month?”

“Good idea, two months.” 

“I thought you’d be the stricter parent.”

“You’re pushing it.” Minghao tried to hide his laugh but it settled between the two of them.

“I’m not.”

Silence followed, the two of them remained in their positions with Junhui leaning on Minghao, their hands still clasped together. 

Minghao broke the silence, his tone gentle while peering on his face. “Okay. Now tell me what’s up with you.”

Junhui swallowed the heavy knot forming on his throat. He’s kinda loathing the fact that Minghao can read him like an open book. “Nothing’s up there’s only down.”

He avoided the other man’s concerned stare and added, “I’m fine. Why would I not be okay?”

“I’ve known you for more than two decades. I think I know a lot more about you, and you can’t disagree about that.” 

What should he respond? He can’t just say that he’s insecure about another guy that might just be a friend of Minghao. Junhui knows he’s exaggerating, he doesn’t want to look overbearing nor does he want to make Minghao feel like he doesn’t trust him.

“Well it’s not that much actually...it’s not like I’m second guessing your feelings but...do you like me?” Junhui looked at the older man, pursing his lips out of habit. 

“The fact that I’ve married you should be a clear idea that I do.” Minghao hugged Junhui by the side, extremely fond with how the man would curl next to him out of embarrassment.

“I actually love you Junnie.” Minghao said in a gentle whisper holding Jun’s hand tighter. “And if you still don’t believe me, ask the 19-year-old me who awkwardly tries to latch on to you everytime he has the chance.”

“I think outing your past-self is quite a traitorous move.” Junhui said, he finally glanced at Minghao who was staring at him affectionately.

“But you secretly like it.”

“Yeah and I still do.” Jun smiled, pulling the man closer until he could feel Minghao’s hair tickling his neck.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Finally” Wonwoo screeched which earned the sleeping Soonyoung next to him to get up almost robotically with his hair tousled.

Minghao immediately detached himself from the couch and went closer to the carpet where Wonwoo was sitting. Feeling the lack of warmth, Junhui stirred and finally opened his eyes to see the three guys hunched together with the familiar blue light from the book.

“What’s happening?” Junhui got closer, he placed his chin on Soonyoung’s head.

The book’s light faded until the words that were slowly etched on the page glowed. Just like last time, the hushed whispers that greeted them halted after the last letter. 

Minghao and Wonwoo scanned the written text and after a moment of looking at each other, they finally stood up and aimed for a high five.

“I think they’ve found your son’s location.” Soonyoung said, quietly yawning and went back to sleep.

He grabbed Soonyoung and placed a pillow on his head, with a soft smile he glanced at a relieved Minghao. “I think so too.”

"So it's written here that he's at 10:10 diner." Wonwoo muttered, turning his head to look at his friends.

"That's closer than I expected." Junhui replied, sighing out of relief. He was expecting that Chenle might’ve travelled farther on the edge of the town.

Minghao’s face was satisfied, his bored expression from a while ago replaced with a pleased smile. "Let's go?"

"Wait." Wonwoo scrunched his face as he retreated back to his book. He looks at Minghao, his eyebrows knitted together. "Both of your spell books are in the same location. Which means.."

Junhui shook the closest person next to him which was an unfazed Soonyoung looking at all of them in a daze after waking up again. "Oh god, Chenle's with the younger Hao." 

"Knowing him he might've blabbered a spoiler alert." Minghao sighed, he stood closer to Wonwoo.

"Would he?" Junhui asked.

Minghao pressed his lips together and shrugged. "I'm not sure. If he does though he'll need another lesson about ethics and principles of modern spell consequences."

After a moment of silence, Minghao stretched his arms and looked at all of them. "Let's get going then."

"I think we'll stay." Wonwoo spares a glance at his sprawled out boyfriend and continued, "Since it's 15 minutes away they might change location and I wouldn't want my book seen in public so we'll contact you if there's any changes."

"Okay. Thank you Wonwoo, we owe you a lot." Minghao patted Wonwoo’s hair in such a mature way, Junhui found it attractive (not that he’d verbally admit it).

Wonwoo closed the book and went straight to Soonyoung, tucking him with the spare blanket. "Anytime, say hi to your husband for me."

"Will do."

The two head out after Junhui thanked Wonwoo with a thumbs up. They began trudging their way to 10:10, both of them wishing that everything will be resolved the moment they find their son.

  
  


* * *

  
  


"Are you ready to meet him?"

"Of course, it feels like I'm getting a sneak peek of what's to come." _Well if there's still something to come,_ a small part of Junhui thinks. He swatted those unhelpful thoughts aside. _Stop those unnecessary ideas and pull yourself together Wen Junhui._

Minghao might’ve sensed the uneasy feeling radiating out of the younger. "There's a lot to come, especially when we're at this point of time where our relationship is in between pining idiots to friends who already planned their life ahead together."

Minghao sent a reassuring smile at him then continued, "So my only wish after all of this is for the both of you to man up and confess."

"That's kinda hard, you know, telling each other's feelings. What if you reject me for someone else." Junhui didn’t expect he’d slip and tell the other his problem.

Minghao looked at him with an annoyed expression and pinched Junhui's ear, earning him a grunt. "As I said I love you." Minghao placed his arm on Junhui's shoulder and smiled. "I don't see myself in the future without you." 

After hearing those words, Junhui’s cheek immediately flushed and out of habit swatted Minghao with his free hand. “Ah stop, you’re being too cool.”

They stopped their conversation when the familiar neon lights of the diner were seen. The soft glow of the lights illuminated the dark area, afternoons were quite dimly lit after all since sunsets are an early sight here.

Minghao pulled Junhui and hid themselves by the parked car. They watched through the windows at the booths that were easy enough to look past through and see the customers. 

Junhui gestured his hand on the right side of the diner, where two boys were idly sitting. Judging by the fluffy brown hair and the neon outfit that looked exactly like Minghao’s clothes it was them. Junhui tried to look past the boy’s covered face but it was a blur because of the distance.

Jun led the older man to the other side, opposite to where the two boys were and sat on the next booth Minghao and Chenle were in.

As they settled on the cushion, both hiding their faces with the menu. Junhui looked at the older Minghao who was whispering his affirmation that the man opposite to the younger Minghao who was facing their direction was actually Chenle.

Junhui hid his face on the edge of the cardboard picture of a pancake platter and took a peek on the boy.

And if Junhui can ultimately scream and kick his own face he’d do so without a doubt. Because the young boy who is said to be his son is in fact the guy he saw in the convenience store with Minghao. And that explains how he gave Minghao’s favorite tea flavor, made him giggle without trying and successfully dragging a composed boy to a fit of laughter a while ago. 

They could've sent the older Minghao with their son in tow earlier but Junhui was too nervous to tell his future husband what went down. It felt like a missing item was in front of Junhui all this time but he failed to see it and went on a rampage to find it inside his room.

_Damn, he got jealous of his own son._

As Junhui fussed over how dumb he was for prolonging Minghao’s agony, his mind immediately cleared up when he heard a sob. Specifically in the other booth.

“It’s not like I’m upset or anything but he should’ve told me he was doing something with _someone_ since I’ve planned something for him.” Minghao’s voice quivered, followed with a sniffle.

“It’s okay you can just talk to him y’know.” Chenle’s voice seemed light for someone counselling his own parent.

“I wanted to surprise him with my new moves but then I saw him with someone else who was wearing his clothes.”

“Okay, hearing this problem of yours with Jun, that I swear I’ve never met before my entire life...you’re now doubting yourself because he doesn’t like you the way you do because you’ve been friends and he just sees you as a younger brother,”

“I think he’s seeing someone else. What...what do i do?”

As he heard those words, Junhui could’ve sworn they were both troubled by each other’s actions. As funny as it is, it was odd that he was jealous with his own son, especially Minghao who’s jealous over 39-year-old self.

“Relax. I think he likes you, and I swear you’ll get married and have a very attractive child and one cat.” Chenle replied, trying his best not to seem suspicious. Which Junhui could say he's failing at.

“I’m sorry for dumping this all on to you it's funny how I've just met you but you seem comfortable to talk to. I don’t even know why my eyes are wet.” Minghao softly said

“It’s okay, it’s not like I’m your family or something haha” The older Minghao rolled his eyes that made Junhui stifle a laugh.

Minghao sighed, and sniffled again. “I think I should freshen up, I’ll just go to the restroom.”

As the younger man stood up and grabbed his bag then went to the bathroom. The older Minghao grabbed Chenle by the ear pinching it with agitation. Their son immediately looked up and smiled sheepishly.

“Hey dad.” He replied with an almost shy tone and looked at Junhui who was beside them. “Hey other younger dad, you seem more...younger in this timeline.” Chenle looked charming, Junhui is beyond proud if he can say so himself.

Minghao retreated his hand and pointed at the seat next to him. 

“Chenle, come here.” His tone held authority, his eyes piercing their son’s face with a scowl.

“Explain.” Minghao said in a calm tone when the boy came. 

“Okay, so remember when I asked you if you could teach me how to dance?” Chenle continued when he saw a nod from the other. “So you said no, and then I had an idea to go back to this time since I saw a video of you performing in the park in this date.”

“So you just time travelled because you want the younger Minghao to teach you how to dance.” Junhui asked, his face tilted to the side.

“Basically yes,”

Minghao sighed and grabbed Chenle’s wrist. “We’re going back, I’ll scold you later for your actions. But for now I guess we should tell your father what happened. Grab that bag of yours we need the spell book."

“Junnie, talk to the younger me okay?” Minghao smiled at Jun with a wave.

“I will. Have a safe trip okay? I honestly had fun.” And with Jun’s words Minghao with Chenle grabbing his bag in tow went to the side door and disappeared in an instant.

Junhui, after a stressful day of his whirlwind emotions sighed and wished it’ll be the last painstaking situation for the week at least. 

There’s one more thing he’d like to do for the day. And that concerns the cute man who was sniffling as he exited the bathroom.

Jun stood up, waving his hand to a shocked Minghao.

Minghao slowly sat at Junhui’s booth. “Did you see a young man with blond hair anywhere.” The younger boy asked, referring to Chenle.

“I just saw him exit a while ago, why?”

“No reason. Aren’t you busy with somebody else?” Minghao’s eyes were avoiding his, seemingly interested with the ketchup bottle in front of him.

“I’m sorry for a while ago. I can explain it to you soon, believe it or not but a lot of things happened.”

“Well okay, I can respect that.” Minghao pursed his lips and frowned. “But that doesn’t mean it explains your avoidance.”

If Junhui could wipe the displeased face on younger he would. “I know, Soonyoung told me about the event, I’m sorry I didn’t get to see your dance.”

“It’s okay.” The younger man finally looked at him and gave him a small smile.

They were left with silence. The type of silence where hushed thoughts were apparent. 

Junhui unclasped his shaking hands, his thumping heart immediately stuttering as he tried to be composed. “So this might be sudden but I want to tell you something.”

Minghao looked at him with a curious expression. His eyes were puffy and his hands were tapping the metal table.

“I think you’ve casted a spell on me.” Junhui said, marvelling on the panicked face of the younger.

“How could you say that?”

After a painstaking amount of seconds of Junhui smiling at him whose face was a definition of mischief he answered.

“The love you’ve casted in me might’ve worked too much.” Minghao furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes pinched and lips pressed to a fine line.

“Because I think I’ve fallen in love with you, I love how you're always concerned with me, I adore the way you giggle and the way you’d cringe inwardly but blush when I tell a joke and I’m sorry for everything that happened today but I do love you.” Junhui held Minghao’s hand with a gentle squeeze. “And I think you can’t undo the spell anymore.

“Do you have any suggestions? It’s your fault after all.” Junhui smiled, looking at Minghao who was blushing profusely.

Minghao closed the gap between them. It might’ve been an awkward sight with two adolescents kissing in a crowded booth with a table separating them, but at least their first kiss was as magical as Junhui expected.

“I love you too, but that doesn't mean you’d get away without explaining what happened earlier.” Minghao said, laughing at Junhui’s gaping mouth.

As the older Minghao had said, Chenle might’ve caused something to happen in this timeline and little did they know that their son is the reason they’ve confessed their affection in a rusty diner under the soft glow of the neon lights. 

If one thing is for sure, Junhui is excited with what is to come in the future. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and your thoughts are appreciated! 
> 
> [I'll proofread this next time, ik it has a lot of errors]
> 
> -> [twitter](https://twitter.com/sheepweeps)  
> -> [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.qa/sheepweeps)


End file.
